Integrated circuit (IC) technologies are constantly being improved. Such improvements frequently involve scaling down device geometries to achieve lower fabrication costs, higher device integration density, higher speeds, and better performance. Along with the advantages from geometry size reductions, improvements to the mechanisms to manufacture and produce integrated circuits are being made.
Semiconductor integrated circuits are produced by a plurality of processes in an integrated circuit fabrication facility. These processes, and associated fabrication tools, may include thermal oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, RTP (rapid thermal processing), CVD (chemical vapor deposition), PVD (physical vapor deposition), etching, and photolithography. During the fabrication stages, products (such as semiconductor substrates) are transported within the fabrication facility and fabrication tools. For example, after a processing step, the semiconductor substrates are removed from a process chamber where processing techniques are performed and transferred to a carrier where the semiconductor substrates are temporarily staged. During the above-mentioned transfer, the semiconductor substrates are exposed to the surrounding environment, which may include undesired airborne molecular contamination, and the semiconductor substrates may become contaminated.
Since a critical requirement for semiconductor manufacturing is the absence of contaminants on the wafer processing surface, a system and method for providing a protective environment is accordingly desired.